Knife rack



Jan. 4, 19 A. E. ROSENBERG KNIFE RACK Filed June 22, 19415 2Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

ALBEZ T E. ROSENBERG- Jan. 4, 1944.

KNIFE RACK 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 22, 1945 "4 p 9 2 I; H I: I l 4 HIn: 5 H "In"; H y 1 N 1 w] z a h m fi r u 2 I A 1 I W H a 3 H H m 7 WuIH' U u z I I I u n U 6 H 1 I U m 2 my H w h n m u .M m J H U n n FL;llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll \QNMW IIFLIW .HLBHTBROSENBftGINVENTOR.

Patented Jan. 4, 1944- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates generally to kitchen articles, but morespecifically to a rack for knives or the like.

The main object of the invention resides in the provision of a rack soconstructed whereby a plurality of knives or the like may be readilydisposed therein and easily removed therefrom.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a rackwhich protects the sharpened edges of knife blades, which will preventpossible injury to persons by a complete encasing of the blades andwhich permits blades to be in a suspended condition hanging freely fromthe handles thereof, said handles engaging one of the walls of the rack.By such a suspension, the sharpened edges of the knives remain in asharpened condition.

A further feature of the invention resides in the provision of aremovable portion of the rack whereby the inner walls thereof may becleaned.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rack that may besupported on a wall, cupboard or the like that will display and supportfrequently used knives and that permits easy selection of the knifedesired by virtue of the transparency of the front wall.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a rack that is highlyattractive in appearance,'

durable in use and economical to manufacture.

These objects and other incidental ends and advantages of the inventionwill hereinafter appear in the progress of the disclosure and as pointedout in the appended claim.

Accompanying this specification are drawings showing a preferred form ofthe invention wherein corresponding reference characters designatecorresponding parts throughout the several views and wherein:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective showing a knife rack in operativeposition with a knife handle mounted therein, the blade being shown indotted lines.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the rack.

Figure 3 is a front view in elevation of the rack with portions brokenaway.

Figure 4 is a side view in elevation of the rack with portions brokenaway.

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view of Fi ure 3 along the plane 5-!thereof.

In accordance with the invention and the preferred form shown the deviceprovides an article that is both useful, that occupies a minimum ofspace, and that adds artistic eflect to the wall on which it issupported.

Thus, the rack as shown comprises a framework having side walls in andII, an upper supporting block l2 and a bottom wall i3. A back wall Itserves as a closure for the rear of the framework, while the frontthereof is provided with a light-pervious window l5 which may be made ofglass or plastic material. All the parts described except window i5 maybe of composition, plastic or other suitable material, but as indicatedin the drawings are of wood because of cheapness in manufacture.

The side walls l0 and ii are suitably secured to the supporting memberi2 and the bottom member l3. As shown, the transverse edges of sidewalls ill and Ii are provided at the inner ends with rabbets l6, l1 andl8, IS.

The supporting member l2 at the transverse edges thereof sits on rabbetsi6 and I8 and is suitably secured thereto as by glue, cement, screws ornails 22a and 23a. Bottom wall I; is.-

of side walls In and II, supporting member i2 and bottom wall l3. Thus,side walls in and II at the inner faces thereof are provided withgrooves 24 and 25 respectively, while supporting member l2 on the innerface is provided with groove 28 and bottom wall IS on the upper face isprovided with groove 21. Thus, grooves 24, 25,

26 and 2'! meet at the ends thereof to form a continuous groove in thesame plane. .In order to introduce window l5 into the groove mounting,it is necessary to remove bottom wall l3 by removing screws 20 and 2|whereupon window I5 is guided along grooves 24 and 25 until the uppertransverse edge engages groove 26 of the upper supporting member I2.Thereafter bottom wall i3 is made to reengage rabbets l1 and I! topermit the lower transverse edge of window 15 to engage groove 21.Thereupon screws 20 and 21 are applied for fastening purposes.

The upper supporting member I2 is provided with a series of spaced slotsextending from the rear edge thereof and preferably terminating inwardlyof the front edge. As shown, the slots are angularly disposed withrespect to the longitudinal edges of supporting member l2 and are ofdifferent sizes as indicated by numerals 28 and 2!. The variation in thelength of the slots is to accommodate blades of knives having variouswidths while the widths of the slots themselves may be varied toaccommodate the blades also varying in thickness. A knife sharpener maybe supported on the supporting member I! by the use of an opening 30therein.

A knife having a handle 3| and a blade 32 is shown in Figure-1 inprotected position.

It is to be observed that the outer walls of slots II and 28 aredisposed inwardly of the peripheral grooves 24, 25, 26 and 21 of theframework so that the edge of the blades is never in contact with thewindow ll. Moreover, the open ends of slots 28 and 20 are closed by theelongated rear wall it. In the manufacture of the rack the member I2 isslotted along the rear longitudinal edge before assemblage with the sidewalls Ill and H or before amxatlon of the framework to the rear wall II.

From the construction of the rack described, it is seen how a knife isinsertable within slots 28 or 2! without causing interference with thesharp edge of the blade 32 and without exposing the blade althougher tohuman touch. The slots II and 29 are made long enough to permit theblade to penetrate therethrough intermediate the length thereof.Whenever the enclosure is soiled for the usual reasons it is necessaryto remove bottom wall II with window IS in order to gain access to theinterior for cleaning purposes.

The device may be made of any desired shape and possess ornamentation.As shown, the outer faces of side walls It and l l are provided withspaced longitudinal grooves 33 while the upper assasos protrudingportion of back wall I4 is provided with an opening 34 for supportingpurposes on a wall and with an upperscalloped edge.

It is to be observed that the light pervious window ll serves toexposeto view the blades within the rack and at the same time performsthe function of a guard to prevent accidental contact and as a closureto prevent entry of dust. However, when desirable a screen may be usedinstead of a solid window. In this event, the screen can be permanentlyaffixed to the framework.

I wish it understood that minor changes and variations in the shape,material, location and integration of parts of the invention may all beresorted to without departing from the spirit-of the invention and thescope of the,appended claim.

I claim:

As an article of manufacture, a rack for knives or the like comprisingan upper supporting memher for said knives or the like having spacedslots extending from the rear edge thereof for pene tration of knifeblades or the like, side walls for said supporting member, a removablebottom wall forming a framework with the upp lt supporting member andthe side walls, an elongated back member forming a closure for the rearends of said slots and a rear closure for the framework, a lightpervious window for the framework removably mounted therein and disposedwithin the forward portion thereof and beyond the front walls of saidslots. ALBERT E. ROSENBERG.

